FighterControl

It’s time to start a 2025 Newark Air Museum News thread, through which I will endeavour to keep people advised of the day to day activities at NAM.

As ever on behalf of everyone at Newark Air Museum I would just like to say a BIG THANK YOU to everyone who visited in 2024 and supported the museum throughout a challenging year.

Details will continue to be added both here and to the museum website: http://www.newarkairmuseum.org/latest-news & at the moment we're on a weather watch for Sunday & Monday.

05.01.24 - A full Site Assessment will take place shortly, but we think that we should be okay to open today.

http://www.newarkairmuseum.org/2025_Admission

05.01.24 (9.30am) - Site Assessment has taken place and we will be open; it's thawing, very wet & quite cold; please wear appropriate clothing if you plan to visit. We will keep the situation under review throughout the day.

(06.01.25 - 9.15am): Site Assessment has taken place and we will be open; it's thawing, very wet & quite cold; please wear appropriate clothing if you plan to visit. We will keep the situation under review during the day. Some staff are struggling to get to site due to local flooding where they live!

I have noticed the Viggen delivery being mentioned elsewhere on the forum and after a bit of thought I have decided to post this extract from an article of mine that was published in FlyPast, about the Viggen acquisition and the challenges that aviation fora created, which nearly lost NAM the aircraft. This text was signed off by the RAF Cranwell / MoD CROs etc.

"..... A project review was undertaken on December 20, 2005 and contact established with the RAF Cranwell Community Relations Officer about publicity requirements for the delivery flight.

On December 21, 2005 the Viggen identification details were received, which allowed the museum to complete and return the EUC to Sweden. The loan could not be formally completed until a signed copy of the EUC was returned from the SAF. Just two hours after the EUC had been posted the museum received an email asking for confirmation of the Viggen delivery, details of which had been posted on an aviation web forum.

Not only did the posting give a delivery date but it also stated that the Viggen had been donated to the museum. This latter point was of particular concern because not only did it jeopardise the agreement from RAF Cranwell to accept delivery of the Viggen on the basis of it being ‘a loaned military aircraft’, but it potentially impacted on the import documentation. Hasty calls were made to reassure all parties that the web chatter was incorrect and that it had not come from the museum. This allayed some concerns but the web forum issue did not go away entirely.

Despite both the RAF and the SAF going out of contact over the holidays, NAM continued with its planning for the dismantling task post Viggen delivery to RAF Cranwell. A team was established from amongst the NAM volunteers and a further set of questions was emailed to Sweden on January 3, 2006.

On January 9, 2006 the delivery pilot indicated the delivery could be made on January 11, 2006 but he also highlighted a possible delay for the deactivation team arriving at RAF Cranwell. This delay was unacceptable to RAF Cranwell and left the delivery in doubt, so RAF Cranwell suggested another delivery schedule.

A telephone call at 09.15 hours on January 10, 2006 advised that the Viggen and support aircraft were scheduled for a 12.00 hours arrival at RAF Cranwell. Calls were made and in people set off to Cranwell, only to receive second calls en route confirming the delivery had been cancelled. Subsequent emails advised that the delivery was delayed for at least a week.

At this time the web forums were in near overdrive, with everyone predicting a delivery flight for January 11, 2006. Even with the delivery on hold and potentially being cancelled altogether unless timing issues could be resolved due to incompatibility of the delivery time and deactivation time, people were planning trips to RAF Cranwell.

Despite a posting on the museum website urging people not to go, January 11, 2006 dawned with many enthusiasts arriving at RAF Cranwell. This situation was partially resolved by the RAF Police touring the station advising everyone to leave. The situation was further compounded the following day when an aviation magazine printed further incorrect delivery dates, again forcing the museum to publish denials on its website.

A good news email arrived on January 12, 2006 from the delivery pilot, suggesting a revised delivery schedule for February with more acceptable dates for the arrival of the deactivation team. The museum realised that in making this offer the SAF had extended the service life of the Viggen to make the delivery flight possible. Despite an anxious couple of days RAF Cranwell agreed to the revised Swedish schedule on January 16, 2006......"

As a footnote NAM also missed the eventual arrival at Cranwell as one delivery flight plan was cancelled on the morning of February 7, 2006 & it was delivered on a second flight plan on a hand held GPS unit; I believe that Blakey was the only person to photograph it landing!

We’ve gone onto weather watch for Friday 24th Jan due to Storm Eowyn & in other news the Vulcan XM594 cockpit is currently closed due to a broken portable compressor.

Details in here http://www.newarkairmuseum.org/latest-news

& here http://www.newarkairmuseum.org/NAM_open_cockpits

Due to Met Office weather warnings that have been issued concerning Storm Eowyn, we have decided to close the museum on Friday 24th Jan 2025.

We plan to RE-OPEN on Saturday 25th Jan 2025 @ 10am.

http://www.newarkairmuseum.org/latest-news

We seem to have survived Storm Eowyn without too many issues & we plan to RE-OPEN on Saturday 25th January 2025 at 10am.

http://www.newarkairmuseum.org/2025_Admission

Open Cockpit Update – we now have a new portable compressor & the Vulcan XM594 cockpit is back on the open cockpit availability list, first expected date Sat 1st Feb 2025.

http://www.newarkairmuseum.org/NAM_open_cockpits

Earlier today the Viggen had a brief spell with the sun on its wings, as the move was undertaken to extract the Swift WK277 from Hangar 2 ready for its move to a new home – the Viggen is now back undercover.

Sorry that we were unable to provide advanced notification.

NAM Updater wrote: ↑

Thu Feb 27, 2025 7:00 pm

Earlier today the Viggen had a brief spell with the sun on its wings, as the move was undertaken to extract the Swift WK277 from Hangar 2 ready for its move to a new home – the Viggen is now back undercover.

Sorry that we were unable to provide advanced notification.

that was a long wait for nothing!

Darren

Sorry, in the end it was a surprise for me as well; plus it never moved away from the stores area behind Hangar 2 where there’s no public access.

NAM Updater wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 28, 2025 7:06 am

Sorry, in the end it was a surprise for me as well; plus it never moved away from the stores area behind Hangar 2 where there’s no public access.

im not blaming you..i would have just loved a photo where i can actually access the airframe.

Darren

The only access to the airframe yesterday was by the team running the move, and even then it was challenging - the subsequent Swift move was also disruptive, especially to the education visit that I was hosting. That’s now down by the Gannet and Sea Vixen.

A gentle reminder that we’re now operating to our spring/summer opening hours: 10am until 5pm (last admission 4pm)

http://www.newarkairmuseum.org/2025_Admission

We're really pleased that we made it officially onto the Thursday 27th March route for the final Puma flypast, so they can check out our XW208!

Details to follow about special parking arrangements at the museum.

http://www.newarkairmuseum.org/Puma_Final_Flypast

Some additional details have been added to our website concerning the car parking arrangements at the museum on Thursday 27th March for the Farewell Flypast of the Puma HC2

http://www.newarkairmuseum.org/Puma_Flypast_Parking

#54AndOut

We've just launched a Just Giving campaign to raise funds for scaffolding to complete the repaint of Ashton WB491.

www.justgiving.com/campaign/ashton-wb491-repaint-2025

Work is now underway on dismantling Swift WK277 ready for its move to Wales.

Also, we have a limited service in the café for the next couple of days, a new oven is on order – sorry!

The Swift has now left site - the end of an era!